Here are some new resources and news for the field of higher education.
RI College Addresses Teacher Shortages With New Requirement Starting this fall, students who study elementary education at RIC will also be trained to teach one of the following subjects: special education, middle school math or middle school science. (Providence Journal)
529 Education Savings Plans: Federal Action and State Policy Trends This Policy Brief provides a detailed look at 529 education savings plans – investment accounts with tax advantages – including a breakdown of maximum annual dollar amounts and state tax deductions allowed, state responses to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, information on legislation in 2018 that changes eligible expenses allowed under 529 plans and a list of questions for state policymakers to consider when identifying the types of data they wish to collect on their existing 529 plans.
The Two Codes Your Kids Need to Know A few years ago, the leaders of the College Board, the folks who administer the SAT college entrance exam, asked themselves a radical question: Of all the skills and knowledge that we test young people for that we know are correlated with success in college and in life, which is the most important? Their answer: the ability to master “two codes” — computer science and the U.S. Constitution. (New York Times)
Dual Enrollment: Participation and Characteristics This report is based on data from a nationally representative study of more than 23,000 ninth-graders in 2009. Follow-up surveys were administered to the cohort in 2012, 2013, and 2016. The study also obtained data from students’ high school transcripts, generally covering the fall 2009 term through the summer 2013 term. About a third of students (34%) took courses for postsecondary credit in high school. Students whose parents had higher levels of education more commonly took courses for postsecondary credit in high school: 42% of students whose parents had earned a Bachelor’s degree or higher took these courses, compared to 26% of students whose parents’ highest level of education was lower than a high school diploma. A lower percentage of Hispanic students (30%) and black students (27%) took courses for postsecondary credit in high school than did white or Asian students (both 38%). Students who took courses for postsecondary credit while in high school most commonly took those courses at their own high school (80%). Less common locations were a college campus (17%), online (8%), and a high school other than the student’s own (6%). (National Center for Education Statistics)
Early College Credit Linked to Success, Savings for IN Students According to [Indiana Commission for Higher Education’s] findings, Indiana students who earned early college credit through Advanced Placement (AP) and dual credit courses are more likely to enroll directly in college, more likely to achieve early success in college and are more likely to graduate on time than their peers. (Diverse: Issues In Higher Education)
States Increase Higher Education Funding By 3.7% The 50 states appropriated a total of $91.5 billion to support their public universities and financial aid programs in Fiscal Year 2018-19. That’s a 3.7% increase over 2017-18. (Forbes)
